| James Kon |
BRUNEI Darussalam will host the third round of the Asian Enduro Series 2018 on September 28-30 and can expect an increase in the number of international cyclists participating in the event.
The first round of the Asian Enduro Series 2018 was completed in Nepal in April. The second round will take place in Malaysia soon and continue in Brunei for the third round. The final round of the series will be in Thailand at the end of November.
Taking place at the Tasek Serubing Recreational Park, participants can compete in six categories – Elite (18 years and above), Aficionados (30-39 years), Kenage (40 to 49 years old category), Legend (50 years old and above category), Femenino (Women’s category) and Prodigy (17 years and below).
A signing ceremony was held yesterday between Kingdom Rides + Adventure and Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) to recognise the airline’s participation as naming rights sponsors and official airline for the event.
Signing on behalf of RB was Executive General Manager Martin Aeberli while Director Jason Pickett signed on behalf of Kingdom Rides + Adventure.
The signing was witnessed by Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali.
The deputy permanent secretary at a press conference called the Asian Enduro Series a “signature event for Brunei Darussalam” and hoped that the event will be hosted in Brunei for years to come.
“The Asian Enduro Series 2018 is a good platform to create Brunei as a destination for sports and as a place of interest to visit,” he said.
He also congratulated the partnership between RB and Kingdom Rides + Adventures calling it a good example of a perfect ‘Public Private Partnership’.
The deputy permanent secretary also hoped that more areas in the country, such as those in Temburong, can be involved in the race.
Meanwhile, Martin Aeberli said, “Our involvement with the race is part of our strategy of working closely with Brunei Tourism to develop tourism offerings for our guests. We see the event as a showcase of what Brunei Darussalam has to offer. This can help bring back existing guests and attract new travellers to our beautiful country. We can introduce them to our pristine environment and hopefully make them regular visitors.”
Kingdom Rides + Adventures Director Jason Pickett explained, “Last year’s event was a welcome success that created great interest locally. There are now local Enduro races including a national endure race in development. Cycling was declared a national past time after last year’s event.”
“We are expecting around 180 international participants from Asia including those from as far as Nepal, India, Korea and Japan as well as other countries in the region. We look forward to see international spotlight shine on Brunei again as the Kingdom of Unexpected Treasure,” he added.
Registration for the race is open and can be found on its Facebook page Asian-Enduro-Series-Brunei-2018.